FBS Football Playoffs Proves NCAA Playoffs at the Higher Seed's Stadium Can work -- Looking at You NCAA Hockey

If you watched the first round of the FBS playoffs this afternoon, you noticed that the teams were playing at the home stadium of the higher seed. While perusing X.com this afternoon, hockey journalist Ryan Stieg retweeted Mike Eidelbes's excellent tweet. Grand Forks Herald hockey scribe Brad E. Schlossman followed suit. Sounds like a great idea. Let's get this done soon. 

Went to IU-ND football yesterday. Probably the best sporting event I’ve attended in terms of atmosphere and electricity.

Having it on campus made it a billion times greater. Hint hint hockey …

— Mike Eidelbes (@INCH) December 21, 2024

Home hockey regionals would be electric. https://t.co/iVNbUKeZjp

— Brad Elliott Schlossman (@SchlossmanGF) December 21, 2024

Yes, it's well past time to revisit this subject again. We've beaten it to death, but we're not going away. Of course, you'll get some pushback from the same old soles, media members, coaches, and schools that want to play in quiet, empty, listless mausoleums masquerading as neutral-site hockey arenas. SMH! These arenas will be in exciting locations like Allen Town, Pennsylvania, or some arena that doesn't usually host hockey games. What could go wrong, right? You have to ask yourself what these people are afraid of? To be the best, you have to beat the best. It shouldn't matter if you have to play in an energy-filled arena. The Frozen Four isn't played in listless arenas. 

Last February, DU head hockey coach David Carle appeared on a podcast from Inside Hockey with Editor Adam Wodon and shared his perspective on the matter. Coach Carle was receptive to the idea. 

For the record, Adam Wodon of College Hockey News favors maintaining the status quo and does not support home-site regionals. 

Here are some points from that podcast. I included Carle's comments because he sees the whole picture and has a realistic opinion. 

"We are in a small minority of sports that do it this way, Carle said. College football is also neutral, but even the behemoth that it is, next year, expanding to 12. They are going to campus sites."

"We are vastly in the minority of not using home site top seeds hosting in any capacity," Carle said. "For the record, I'm against North Dakota being a one-seed this year and having three teams enter their building. That's worse than what we currently do—the top four seats hosting, you know, all the teams to four sites. It's worse when you talk about atmosphere, excitement, and the fan experience. I would get we all host games all the time, right? The top eight would host the bottom eight."

Let's get it done. It's well past time. Last season, I asked UND head coach Brad Berry if he favored playing regional games at home sites. 

Would Coach Berry’s team rather play in Minnesota or Duluth than in an empty arena in Bridgeport? Of course, he would.

“A hundred percent, Berry said. “That goes into the part of earning it. If we’re a lower seed and we have to go into a building. We already do that. We go into environments like that during the regular season; it shouldn’t be different in the playoffs. You have to win a game on the road. It’s going to provide a better atmosphere and a better experience for the college student-athletes.”

DU’s Carle Hits It Out of the Park on the CHN Podcast

The University of North Dakota hockey team is on a bye week, and some are looking for a way to fill the void. I've been catching up on various podcasts and YouTube videos. Last night, the University of Hockey tweeted this out. I decided to check it out. It's worth a listen. For the record, Adam Wodon of College Hockey News favors keeping the status quo. He's not a fan of home-site regionals. DU head coach David Carle favors having the higher seeds host regional games. It's a pretty fair concept. 

It would work like this: the top seed would face the 16th seed. The second seed would host the 15th seed. The third seed would host the 14th seed. The seeding would work its way through the field. It seems pretty reasonable. Wodon asked Carle if he would favor playing the Gophers on their home ice if they were a higher seed. He said yes. 

That sound you hear starting at 59:00, is Wodon's argument collapsing in on itself like a dying star. David Carle asks him pointed questions and absolutely puts him in a box... https://t.co/TqB03Zg3Dl pic.twitter.com/gSwhAVASrF

— University of Hockey (@UofHockeyBlog) February 9, 2024

If you fast forward to the 36:00 minute mark, you can hear DU head coach David Carle and Adam Wodon discuss the various issues in college hockey, more specifically, the current flawed regional hockey playoffs format. It's kind of interesting because Carle negates many of the arguments for keeping the status quo. I applaud Carle for being at the forefront of wanting to improve the game and the fan experience. Kudos to them for having a civil discussion. 

The CHN Insiders Podcast gets you ready for the weekend.https://t.co/PK8BAbBJjD ... follow the podcast Twitter feed @CHNsiders

— College Hockey News (@chnews) February 8, 2024

Here are a couple of quotes that stuck out for me. 

"We are in a very small minority of sports that do it this way, Carle said. College football is also neutral, but even the behemoth that it is, next year, expanding to 12. They are going to campus sites."

"We are vastly in the minority of not using home site top seeds hosting in any capacity," Carle said. "For the record, I'm against North Dakota being a one-seed this year and having three teams come into their building. That's worse than what we currently do—the top four seats hosting, you know, all the teams to four sites. It's worse when you talk about atmosphere, excitement, and the fan experience. I would just get we all host games all the time, right? The top eight would host the bottom eight."

Carle brought up a good point: when Miami was a number one seed, they had to play a four seed in Providence in Providence. They're against home teams hosting regionals, but Providence was playing in their hometown. 

"We talk about fairness," Carle said. "How is it fair that Miami has to go play Providence in Providence while Denver has to fly out east to play Boston College and Providence?"

"Schools like Yale and Cornell are all the teams I grew up following," Wodon said. "They're the ones who feel like these things often disfavor them. Eight, nine, seven, 10: Is it enough of a difference? As a coach, you're saying you don't care if you're going into a hostile environment; I know from talking to coaches in the past that others do care."